The
CASE
of
the
Free
Distillers
,
With
Reference
to
the
Drawing
and
Distilling
of
Spirits
from
MALT
.
IF
it
shall
consist
with
the
Wisdom
of
Parliament
to
Restrain
that
Consumption
of
Corn
,
which
of
late
hath
been
in
this
Kingdom
,
by
Distilling
,
to
any
certain
Yearly
limitted
quantity
of
Malts
,
then
it
is
humbly
proposed
,
That
the
Benefit
of
the
Working
of
such
limitted
quantity
of
Malts
,
may
not
be
confined
to
any
Small
Number
of
Men
,
who
are
now
in
that
way
of
Trade
,
but
that
all
Free
Distillers
may
(
according
to
their
Ancient
and
Unquestionable
Right
of
Working
)
have
free
liberty
to
Share
in
the
Benefits
thereof
:
And
that
for
the
Reasons
following
.
-
I.
The
present
Body
of
the
Free
Distillers
consists
of
above
Four
Hundred
Members
,
and
the
Number
of
the
Persons
now
using
the
Malt
Distilling
Trade
,
are
but
few
(
if
any
)
above
Twenty
,
and
some
of
them
no
Free
Distillers
,
but
Interlopers
,
and
others
Excise-men
;
and
how
great
a
Hardship
may
it
be
esteem'd
,
that
so
great
a
part
of
the
Distillers
Trade
should
be
Confined
and
Assured
to
so
Small
a
Number
,
and
they
such
Persons
?
-
II.
The
Confinement
of
Distilling
from
Malt
to
this
Small
Number
of
Men
,
will
unavoidably
greatly
Encourage
and
Facilitate
the
Persons
concerned
therein
,
in
their
Combining
and
Confederating
together
,
in
setting
(
almost
)
what
Prices
they
please
,
both
upon
the
Malts
fit
for
their
Use
and
Purpose
,
and
the
Spirits
Drawn
from
those
Malts
;
to
the
great
Prejudice
,
not
only
,
of
all
others
Concern'd
in
the
Trade
,
but
also
of
the
King's
Subjects
in
general
.
This
being
Matter
of
Fact
,
it
is
humbly
hoped
,
That
this
Honourable
House
will
Direct
nothing
in
this
Weighty
Affair
,
that
shall
be
Injurious
to
the
Society
of
the
Free
Distillers
.